


Photograph Day

by tillyenna



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Minerva McGonagall, Gen, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Mentor Minerva McGonagall, Orion Black's A+ Parenting, Sad Sirius Black, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Walburga Black's A+ Parenting, poor sirius
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 14:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20950052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tillyenna/pseuds/tillyenna
Summary: A series of vignettes of seven different school photographs days, documenting Sirius Black's time at hogwarts. Sirius Centric.





	Photograph Day

**Author's Note:**

> In the UK it is the custom to have photograph days at school. Usually individual photographs and family photographs if you go to the same school as your siblings/cousins. Plus sports teams, houses, whole school etc etc. I don't know if this is the custom in other countries, so I'm telling you about it now.

First year Sirius doesn’t for a moment imagine he wouldn’t be wanted for the family photograph. He’s yet to spend the long summer months with his father berating him every time he sees him and his mother with her seemingly endless silences. He’s seen the photographs of yesteryear, freshly pressed robes, a sea of shining faces starting solemnly down the lens, amid glistening silver and green. Occasionally Andromeda will grin and wave at him, younger in the picture than he knows her now.  
So after the house photographs, the class photographs, the whole school, various quidditch teams, when the times are given for the family photographs, Sirius arrives with the rest of his cousins. Most of them have stopped talking to him since the ‘sorting hat debacle’ (as the family have started calling it, and to be honest, the entire school after hearing the howlers Walburga had sent the headmaster). Still, Andi pulls him to stand next to her, ruffling his hair which he definitely hadn’t spent at least half an hour on that morning. If he feels like he sticks out like a sore thumb, the only flash of red and gold amongst the sea of Slytherin robes, he is reminded that they are his family by Andromeda’s teasing and her hand on his shoulder.  
It’s not until he gets home, and sees the picture on the wall, standing out in black and white, when all the rest are in glorious technicolour, that he realises there might be more of a problem than he’d realised. The confusion must how on his face, as the tiny image of himself shrugs and points down at his robes. His mother claims it’s because it looks more ‘elegant’ that way, but he knows deep down, it’s to hide who he is.

Second year he almost doesn't turn up, but when Andromeda appears at the doorway to the Gryffindor common room in all her seventh year intimidating glory, he lets himself be dragged along.  
For the first year in a long time, his parents don’t bother buying the photograph. He knows it’s because of him, shining grin on the front row, unabashedly wearing his house colours. 

Third year her turns up obnoxiously dishevelled, “You sure they want you there pads?" James asks cautiously eyeing the mop of tangled black hair.  
“They haven't said they don’t want me, “ Sirius laughs, a flash of defiance in his grin, “So they’re gonna get me. “  
When he gets there, amongst his cousins and his brother, he finds himself shoved to the back row, hidden among the older children, red and gold of his robes barely visible. He boldly confronts his mother about it  
“Well if you will present yourself like a muggle you can hardly expect to be pride of place on the wall." Walburga answers snippily. 

Fourth year, the photographers camera catches fire just before the black family photograph. The photograph isn’t ruined, the photographer had a back up, and rumours fly around the school that Sirius Black did it because the photographer had a note from his parents to not include him in the family photograph.  
Regulus tries to corner him a few days later,  
“Siri, can we talk, “  
“Why would I talk to you? “ Sirius answers snippily, “It’s not as if we’re family.”  
It’s the only time James really gets to see how much Sirius is hurt by the way his family treat him, the rest of the time he laughs it off, telling everyone he’s better than them anyway, telling people he’s happier being the white sheep of the family (and then laughing himself into stitches at his own pun), but the destruction of a camera is hard evidence to hide. When confronted, he won’t talk about it. 

Fifth year Sirius sulks in the common room all day, and the other three mauraders know better than to bring up why. His mood hangs like a black cloud over all of them, and they tiptoe round him, until Pete has a fit of nervous farts, which breaks the tension and sends them all into fits of giggles. 

Sixth year, Remus is expecting another sulking fit. Sirius had moved in with James and his parents the previous summer, so was definitely not considered part of the Black family anymore. Instead, a very confused Minerva McGonnagal appears at the door, “Mr Potter, “ she calls into the common room, “Would you care to explain why I’ve got you listed for having a family photograph - are your solitary portraits not good enough? “  
“Ah, “ James grins, “Mum thought you might be confused so she wrote a note, “ he digs into the pocket of his robes, and pulls out a howler, hand delivering it to his head of house.  
With a wary wand, Minerva opens the letter and the sound of Mrs Potters calm voice drifts across the common room.  
“Dearest Minnie, “ The letter began, “Euphemia Potter here, I’m sure you remember me from the most recent hogwarts Alumni fundraising evening, goodness what a splendid night that was. I’m sure you remember me mentioning that I’ve adopted another son, and as such, I’d like a photograph of Both my boys in their uniform. Please remind James to brush his hair, and tell Sirius if he could find it within himself to look anything other than ‘punk rock’ I’d be indebted. “  
The note bursts into harmless flames, to the astonished silence of the room.  
Ever the embodiment of decorum Minerva McGonnagal smoothed out her robes and sighed “Well then, “ she said brightly, “Potter and Potter, with me. “ Remus and Peter watched in amazement as she calmly swept out of the room with James and Sirius in tow.  
The photograph of the pair of them, James’ arm slung around Sirius shoulder, both of them grinning into the camera, is purchased in the largest size possible, and hangs above the fireplace at Godric’s Hollow. 

Photographs day comes less than a month after the Potters funeral for seventh year, and is a stark reminder of the light which is missing in their war torn World, a world which will forever be a little bit dimmer for the loss of the Potters. The boys stay mostly in their room, playing snap, ignoring the outside world, until, as the day is drawing to a close, there comes a knock on the door.  
McGonnagal stands at the door, her robes pristine, “With me boys” she says simply, and dumbfounded, they follow her out of the room.  
The photographer has set up a bench, down by the lake, and as they follow her towards him, James and Sirius communicate in silent glances, neither of them knowing what on earth their head of house is planning.  
As the last family group disperses, Minerva has a quiet word in the photographers ear, and then plants herself in the middle of the bench.  
“Well, “ she looks up expectantly, at the four mauraders, and then pats the bench beside her, “I should like a photograph with My family if it should please you. “  
The photograph is framed, and lives on her desk, it contains Remus, discreetly wiping a tear from his eye, Peter, looking more bemused than ever, staring in wide eyed wonder at his head of house. James smiling for the first time in a month, and Sirius, cheeky as ever, planting a kiss on Minerva’s cheek. 

She never removes the picture, perhaps a less stubborn woman would have, but Minerva is made of stern stuff. The few raised eyebrows from her fellow professors she answers simply. “This picture remembers who they were, not who they became.” A few years later, she is never more grateful to have kept it when a terrified looking Remus Lupin enters her office.  
“I can’t do this Minnie,” he says abruptly, folding himself into his customary chair on the opposite side of the desk.  
She knows instantly what he means, “He does looks so like James doesn’t he.”  
Remus nods, but the far away look in his eyes is haunted by more than just Harry’s uncanny resemblance to his father. “I thought I saw a dog on the train.”  
The statement seems odd, perhaps he’s making some reference to a grim, the corridors of Hogwarts must be more haunted than anywhere else in the country for Remus Lupin.  
Slowly, she turns the photograph around, so he can see it. The image of himself from years before, wipes away a tear, and stares fondly over at his friends.  
“It meant so much to him,” Remus says gruffly, and Minerva has no idea which of the boys he’s talking about. She finds later, she doesn’t rightly care.

At the end of that year, the photographs goes mysteriously missing. She finds it again, a few years later, stuck, obnoxiously to the wall in 12 Grimmauld Place.

**Author's Note:**

> Gosh it's been a long time since I've written. Oh well. Not Beta'd, not even properly thought through. It's a start thought right?


End file.
